Phil Dolling

This comprehensive guide gives insight into the first vehicle ever built to be driven on the surface of another body, which is the Apollo mission's lunar module. Prefaced by a foreword by the first Apollo astronaut to drive the lunar lander, this title is both a mechanical guide with illustrations and technical drawings and a fascinating narrative of engineering ingenuity and human triumph. It draws on NASA's rich photographic archive and the complete transcripts of the crews' reaction to driving across the moon. With its blend of engineering principles and detailed images, this informative guide will engage space geeks and novices alike.

Our world has been transformed beyond recognition, particularly in the twentieth century, and so were our lives and our aspirations. Throughout James May's Magnificent Machines, our Top Gear guide explores the iconic themes of the past hundred years: flight, space travel, television, mechanised war, medicine, computers, electronic music, skyscrapers, electronic espionage and much more. But he also reveals the hidden story behind why some inventions like the Zeppelin, the hovercraft or the Theremin struggled to make their mark. He examines the tipping points - when technologies such as the car or the internet became unstoppable - and gets up close by looking at the nuts and bolts of remarkable inventions. Packed with surprising statistics and intriguing facts, this is the ideal book for anyone who wants to know how stuff works and why some stuff didn't make it.